A blog about the Big Four of the English Premier League

Screamers are meant to Silence

Remember the posters that said today is the first day of the rest of your life. Well not quite so for the Gunners, but thats the kind of new hope Liverpool expected. Especially when a non-scouse-ready-to-pick-at-anything mate of yours calls you up after Bolton’s second goal ,to enjoy and indulge in his pre-mature moment of glory, not knowing what Liverpool’s Deus Ex machina has yet to offer.

And as the story of the day goes Liverpool claim their 3 points. Not the most convincing of fashions, but one a bit remeniscent of last year. When you score 2 goals against Liverpool, you better find a way in for the third one. Ask City,Wigan,Portsmouth last year.

From a Liverpool perspective things would have been expected to go much smoother. Their woeful record of defending in set-pieces still seems to be the source of amusement for some dimwits. But like UFO,comets and Force India podiums this is merely a passing thing. Of all the six or seven goals that were let in from set pieces only one of them had a case against Zonal Marking. Zonal Marking has worked and will continue to be so. Period.

Liverpool made hard work for the victory. Going down twice and coming back to seal the win. Now many cocky pundits criticized Rafa for signing Glen Johnson for a right back for an inflated price, rather than putting some money on the wings.With 4 games gone, thankfully there’s not any of those bullshit around. Glen Johnson has added a new dimension to the right back position, more than what Maicon and Sergio Ramos had done with their teams. Make no mistake, his goal was a piece of skill Messi would have been proud of. Cutting in from the right and driving low with his left foot. Also he has kept his feet grounded when it comes to defensive duties. Heck, everyone wants to have Glen the man in their Fantasy League. What more needs to be said.

The real pressing concern from the game though is not about defending the corners, rather converting the ones on the other end. The team has been wasteful in taking corners and the delivery at times is shambolic(As honest a scouser could get). But critics seem to be dead settled in picking up with the style of play, because the pass master is not there any more. Now for all those mancs and fans of the london clubs who thinks Liverpool are no good without Alonso, judging by the way things have gone so far, Think again.

Last season Liverpool started off with a 1-0 win against Sunderland. Yeah Keano and Torres combo sucked big time and the game was quite similar to what Liverpool are playing now, with the only difference between the two teams being a moment of brilliance from El Nino. Next game was Middlesborough. After going down, Carra equalised. Yes Jamie Carragher having scored a goal in his debut and since then scored more goals for the opponents than his club, managed to get a deflected shot in. The Winner of course came from a Stevie G rocket, 93rd minute. Then came Villa who proved to be as much a thorn they are, niggling out a 0-0 draw. Yeah that’s how Liverpool started last year and for the uninitiated ones, Alonso played all those games.

And it was not until the North-west derby against United, that Liverpool started finding some real form to put a title Challenge. The Games so far are no different. Take Bolton. Liverpool were not in any sort of rhythm in the final third and kept lacking the finishing that was required to kill the game off. This although maintaining a fair amount of possession only means lack of match fitness or less confidence for the forwards. But there was noticeable difference when Bolton went one man down(Yeah, who said Lucas cant replace Alonso). More than giving a man to man advantage, Liverpool suddenly seemed to have found some much required confidence. And quite quickly thanks to that Placebo effect Kuyt and Torres combined beautifully to set up a Liverpool second. And at 2-2 with 7 minutes to go. Step up Stevie G and, mother of gods, what a stunning goal it was. Job done.

So the point is, anyone who is writing off Liverpool’s chances just because Alonso left is doing so at his own peril. A couple of years ago we were a one man team. Last year we were all Gerrard and Torres. And Suddenly since Alonso left, they say we are nothing without him. The truth is we have won and lost as a team, not just by anyone. Now I am not the biggest fan of Lucas, but we have won games without Alonso. For the mancs who say that Liverpool are shit with Lucas, remember March the 14th?

“Remember the posters that said today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Well not quite so for the Gunners, but thats the kind of new hope Liverpool expected. Especially when a non-scouse-ready-to-pick-at-anything mate of yours calls you up after Bolton’s second goal ,to enjoy and indulge in his pre-mature moment of glory, not knowing what Liverpool’s Deus Ex machina has yet to offer.

And as the story of the day goes Liverpool claim their 3 points. Not the most convincing of fashions, but one a bit reminiscent of last year. When you score 2 goals against Liverpool, you better find a way in for the third one. Ask City,Wigan,Portsmouth last year.

From a Liverpool perspective things would have been expected to go much smoother. Their woeful record of defending in set-pieces still seems to be the source of amusement for some dimwits. But like UFO,comets and Force India podiums this is merely a passing thing. Of all the six or seven goals that were let in from set pieces only one of them had a case against Zonal Marking. Zonal Marking has worked and will continue to be so. Period.

Liverpool made hard work for the victory. Going down twice and coming back to seal the win. Now many cocky pundits criticized Rafa for signing Glen Johnson for a right back for an inflated price, rather than putting some money on the wings.With 4 games gone, thankfully there’s not any of those bullshit around. Glen Johnson has added a new dimension to the right back position, more than what Maicon and Sergio Ramos had done with their teams. Make no mistake, his goal was a piece of skill Messi would have been proud of. Cutting in from the right and driving low with his left foot. Also he has kept his feet grounded when it comes to defensive duties. Heck, everyone wants to have Glen the man in their Fantasy League. What more needs to be said.

The real pressing concern from the game though is not about defending the corners, rather converting the ones on the other end. The team has been wasteful in taking corners and the delivery at times is shambolic(As honest a scouser could get). But critics seem to be dead settled in picking up with the style of play, because the pass master is not there any more. Now for all those mancs and fans of the London clubs who thinks Liverpool are no good without Alonso, judging by the way things have gone so far, Think again.

Last season Liverpool started off with a 1-0 win against Sunderland. Yeah Keano and Torres combo sucked big time and the game was quite similar to what Liverpool are playing now, with the only difference between the two teams being a moment of brilliance from El Nino. Next game was Middlesborough. After going down, Carra equalised. Yes Jamie Carragher having scored a goal in his debut and since then scored more goals for the opponents than his club, managed to get a deflected shot in. The Winner of course came from a Stevie G rocket, 93rd minute. Then came Villa who proved to be as much a thorn they are, niggling out a 0-0 draw. Yeah that’s how Liverpool started last year and for the uninitiated ones, Alonso played all those games.

And it was not until the North-west derby against United, that Liverpool started finding some real form to put a title Challenge. The Games so far are no different. Take Bolton. Liverpool were not in any sort of rhythm in the final third and kept lacking the finishing that was required to kill the game off. This although maintaining a fair amount of possession only means lack of match fitness or less confidence for the forwards. But there was noticeable difference when Bolton went one man down(Yeah, who said Lucas cant replace Alonso). More than giving a man to man advantage, Liverpool suddenly seemed to have found some much required confidence. And quite quickly thanks to that Placebo effect, Kuyt and Torres combined beautifully to set up a Liverpool second. And at 2-2 with 7 minutes to go. Step up Stevie G and, mother of gods, what a stunning screamer of a goal it was. Job done.

So the point is, the ones who are writing off Liverpool’s chances just because Alonso left and are playing not to the expected level, are doing so at their own peril. A couple of years ago we were a one man team. Last year we were all Gerrard and Torres. And Suddenly since Alonso left, they say we are nothing without him. The truth is that we have won and lost as a team, not just by anyone. Now I am not the biggest fan of Lucas, but we have won games without Alonso. For the mancs who say that Liverpool are shit with Lucas, remember March the 14th?

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40 Responses

Hmm typical liverpool comeback agreed,But i think glen Johnson like vermealean has started well enuf but v need to c em yet in more big games nd how consistent they are over a period..Ok forget lucas for now, Y is Voronin back in the team??Nd inexplicably rafa always benches yossi,y does he need two holding midfielders?

Voronin is fcking class man. I mean if united can play Owen , we can with Voronin. I don’t know whether u know this. The triple H has come back from a goal fest in Bundesliga. Am like darn sure he ll score against some big teams this time. Support for Voro.

I suppose you haven’t heard of something called objectivity . Voronin spent one year at liverpool in which he suffered from ankle injury problems and played only 19 games. Now if one year was enough to say a player was shit then Drogba should have been sent packing after his poor first few seasons. And last season he was loaned out cause of the signing of Keane. And yes, I am not hailing him as a star, but then I dont jump to ridiculing players either

But i guess I am not as good a football pundit as you are to be able to label players as crap after just one full season

@ Vishwa

So just because Owen has scored and Voronin hasn’t after 4 games, Owen’s better than Voronin

By that Logic Adebayor should be given the golden boot and Tottenham should be considered a better team than United

Awwww… Come on mate…. Thought you were better than this…. Lets talk about Owen’s record here… His goals to matches ratio is still 1:2… That even after spending the better part of 3 years crocked at tyneside…. And he’s scored 40 international goals for england.. And you compare him with Voronin?.. jaysus

fellow diaby fan, read my comment again and try to understand what i ve written. It was just an indication of how long its been since voronin scored in the pl even he u factor in his loan spell last year.owen s goal rate is far better and owens not fat.

No debate on that mate…Owen’s class, but have a look at Voronin’s stats, he averages around 1goal every 2.5 games in the Bundesliga and he is a different type of player from Owen, who holds up the ball more so will set up assists also..

Last season at hertha he had a better tha 1 in 2 ratio

And owen’s ratio is still being propped by his time at Anfield, his goal ratio has not been as impressive at Newcastle (1 in 2.7) .And I am actually tipping Owen to do well, the question is why is it so easy to assume Owen will do well and Voronin won’t their career stats are not so dramatically different. And Voronin has actually not had anywhere near the kind of fitness worries that Owen has

Point is Im not a owen hater or a Voronin fan, like i told vishwa, its about looking at things objectively. And in all probablity Owen will outscore Voronin, but that might also be due to the kind of players they are and the performance of their teams

Mate… Owen has played over 400 matches at the highest level…And voronin around half of that.. throw in the fact that all of owen’s games has been in the top leagues where pace and tackling are rampant.. This has burnt him out… And he’s scored 40 goals for england and scored in 4 major tournaments.. In contrast, voronin has achieved nothing major in his career…. If you can compare Owen and Voronin then i am sure that you can compare Kevin Davies and Torres…

the fact that owen has played 400 games is testimony to him being an englishman and beginning a career at England, in contrast voronin began in Ukraine and the stats reflected are only of the games he played in Germany, and some players have later starts to their careers, so no of games isn’t a measure of much.

Secondly lets not insult the Bundesliga so much, its a fairly tough league to play in and FYI Voronin’s strike rate in the Bundesliga is better than a Mirosalv Klose’s. And he played for Leverkusen so not winning anything is not really his fault. And he was a part of the Leverkusen team which reached the UCL final and almost won 3 trophies in one year (unfortuately losing all 3 on the final days)

And lastly, my point was never to compare the history of the 2, yes Owen will remain a greater player than Voronin, my only point of contention is their ability to produce success at this point of time, and you yourself say that Owen’s body has taken a beating which would reduce the chances of that.

And yes Davis and Torres can be compared, not for the goals they score, or the skill level or for their past performance, but in the ability to contribute to the success of their respective teams. In that regard my point was that Voronin can contribute as much to liverpool as Owen can to united

@Harish
ahem…what makes u think kezman was an exceptional striker, or for that matter pizzaro??
mutu fucked himself with marijuana… not Chelsea’s fault, and we’ll be getting 17m compensation from him
shevchenko was the only casualty, but that was mainly because of major injury problems

@Arvi
We got Pizzaro on a free transfer, and what makes u think he was on a 5m wage per year? He turned out to be useless in PL, so he’s gone where he can play, bundesliga

And cut the crap that pool does not splash out
u get Keane for 20m and send him back in 6 months
u get Johnson at 17m and then pay him 139k a week if news reports are to be believed… which is quite frankly, ridiculous !!!

As I mentioned before ur assumption that the bundesliga is shit is flawed anyway, so Pizzaro’s over 100 goals in the Bundesliga prior to joining chelsea are not entirely worthless

as for kezman, he had a better scoring record than Van Nistelroy in the dutch league, and although the Eriedivisie is not much, it still shows he had tremendous potential

Mutu’s record before his drug ban was still a goal every 5 games, worse than the Voronin the guy u are blasting

and please don’t talk about splashing on transfers, you people are still paying shitloads of money to Ballack, and his total contribution has been nothing spectacular.
U buy a defender for around 11 million and then use Micahel Essien in defence and stick the poor chap on in the reserves for the best part of one and a half seasons
the money u have spent on full backs alone would be enough to build an entire team
and if not for chelshit the market would never have been inflated to the extent tht it has

Hmm…..I wonder how you find it so easy to apply a rather extreme label like ‘total failure’ to a player

I am sure guys like u would have called Ferguson a failure when he didnt win a trophy in the first few years, or when Ronaldo had an insipid first few seasons at Old trafford, Is Nani a total failure? How bout anderson?

Diaby, Voronin are guys who have had careers which are a few years old (Voronin’s liverpool career) and Kezman was one of europe’s hottest prospects before he came to Chelsea, but then I guess u would never be objective enough to see that

Hey guys, sry for being late and missing out on the fun. First of all a big salute to Harish for nailing every one of them singlehandedly. I see he knows a bit more football than others.

To the mancs and the rest :ppl, this is reality in Liverpool under Rafa. The Johnsons and Torres kinda buys on end and the Free ones like Voronin on another. Yea the player jus sucked at his first year, and many a times i was left wondering if this guy could even pass the ball. But it all happened to be that the player didn’t settle well in many sense. He had shown glimpses of talent here and there, that made Rafa to loan him out and see if he could get any better. The player got better and thats why he is in. We are not Chelsea here to buy someone like Pizzaro on a 5m a year wage,goodness me, and chuck him out and put more 10m a year on someone else. We bot the player for nothing. If he does well, good for us, if he doesnt we lose nothing. Now tat theres no money on the coffers for another striker he cud be a useful backup.The player wants to prove and works hard. What more could you expect. Yea such a thing is totally new to the mancs and Chelshits. Its like if John O Shea scores a goal against liverpool u go gagagagoogoogoo and if he misses a tough pass from Roo its like why the fuck does Fergie play him in the first case. Go get a life fellas.

. We bot the player for nothing. If he does well, good for us, if he doesnt we lose nothing.

Scouse Logic:
When Rafa buys an unknown for free, he’s a freakin genius… If SAF buys a proven goalscorer for free, he’s crazy….

The player wants to prove and works hard.
Not more than Owen wants to…

The Johnsons and Torres kinda buys on end and the Free ones like Voronin on another.
Funny that you left out the Babels, Cisses and Keanes… How would you categorize that?

Its like if John O Shea scores a goal against liverpool u go gagagagoogoogoo and if he misses a tough pass from Roo its like why the fuck does Fergie play him in the first case
Where did you a manc speak that way about John ‘Almighty’ O’Shea….

He’s meant to be Reinas replacement in 1 or 2 years.
Thats the point that irks me da… He’s of the same age as Reina.. and Reina can easily play on for another decade.. Why do you need a replacement for him?

Paying 4 mil for keeping a player on the bench is not necessarily such a bad thing Cavilieri was bought to cover for Reina, the fact that Reina has had an exceptional record with injuries and has been ever present is not rafa’s fault.
How many games has Zoran Tosic played by the way?

In defence of Rafa’s transfer record

As i said before i dont think Rafa is by any stretch of the imagination a transfer wizard, however its not entirely his fault, the fact that Wenger, Ferguson and even someone like a Moyes are so good in finding good buys is because of the kind of scouting team and network that they have built over the past several years that they have been in-charge, which is why they are able to find exceptional talent hidden from plain sight. The relatvely short duration of Benitez’s tenure and liverpool’s failing to build a scouting network are the causes for Rafa’s transfer shortcomings